Endless Waltz
by Pride-Of-Angels
Summary: The final battle. Cloud and Sephiroth facing off. The decent into insanity. Cloud is fighting more than just the general, he's fighting his friend, his lover, his self. But what will he have to give up in order to win? Mild themes. R and R please?


Alright, disclaimer time;

I **do not** own anything to do with Square Enix, no matter how many times I put it on my Christmas list. Sadly the sexy men are not mine. I only own the idea used to write this. And maybe the computer it was typed on.  
Anyways~

This contains **mild** Sephiroth x Cloud, fairly OC Cloud. ((Sorry.)) and mild violence . There is **nothing** described in detail, but if you are against any the ideas, please don't read this. The song is "_I hate everything about you_" By _Three Days Grace_...and I don't own that either.

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Shi-ing

Another blow rang out as the metal clashed. Time and time again, they swung, the swords ringing, the sound like thunder. A stale mate in mid air, it was almost like dancing, the way the wielders twisted and flipped, together and apart. No matter how one moved, the other had a counter action. This was a never-ending bloody waltz. Nothing was coming to an end just yet.

This was so much like all the times before, and yet, something was different. This wasn't just mindless fighting; this was them, together, again. Even though they were on different sides this time they were being brought together. The only thing stopping them from just walking away was memories. Memories that ran far deeper than blood or scars ever would.

_**Every time we lie awake**_

_**After every hit we take**_

_**Every feeling that I get **_

_**But I haven't missed you yet**_

No, they weren't unhappy that this had played out the way it had. A game is made for two players, and it takes the mistakes of both players before for a game to progress. A game will only last so long though.

_**Every roommate kept awake**_

_**By every sigh and scream we make**_

Happy, this was a word they had each used, once upon a time, to describe themselves. Together tangled between two flimsy sheets, they were happy. This wasn't the first time, this wasn't the last time, nor would it be the only time, but one way or another, it was the best time.

_**All the feelings that I get**_

_**But I still don't miss you yet**_

The next day the general would be heading back into Wutai. He wouldn't be returning for near half a year. This was their way of saying 'Goodbye' before addressing the rest of Shinra. This was the final good bye really, whether they knew it or not, the next time they saw each other, they'd be holding their dear one at the end of a sword. Everything was peaceful, even through this awkward time. He was going back into the war, right into the heat of the battle.

_**Only when I stop to think about it**_

_Shing-_

They two forms broke apart, only meters from each other. They stood, momentarily all was still save for their breathing. Something so simple hurt so much. Why?

_**I hate everything about you**_

No time to rest, this had to end soon. This had to end now. Neither of them would be able to stand seeing each other, bringing back all the memories of before. Memories run deeper than scars.

_**Why do I love you**_

"Why won't you just die? Why drag me through this every time you return!?" Cloud cried, drawing his buster up above his head before charging forward to bring it down upon the general and his Masamune.

"The same reason you come back to fight me every time, cadet." The general smirked, the slightest of smile gracing his otherwise fierce features.

"Shut up, I quit Shinra long ago…you have no right to call me that." Cloud's grip weakened, allowing the general an opening to slash his blade cleanly across Cloud's chest. A crimson river was soon flowing freely down the front of the blond's shirt.

_**I hate everything about you**_

Cloud stumbled backwards, the pain shooting up through his nerves to his brain, warnings flaring inside his mind. He had to finish this, and fast. Blood was precious. Vital. More so than making another encounter last. If he died…he'd never see the silver haired general again. Never again…

_**Only when I stop to think about it**_

"Boy, you can leave Shinra, forge a new path, making a new you. But the fact that you still come back to me every time I return is enough to make a mockery out of your words." With a simple flick of his wrist, another river forged its way down the blond's chest, his shirt material shredding easily under the edge of the general's beloved blade.

_**I hate everything about you**_

"Enough!" Cloud cried, forcing his ever-weakening body to protect itself. Caught off guard, the general's own face was nicked with the tip of the buster, leaving a lone red whisker to decorate the cat like man.

_**Why do I love you**_

"You look beautiful like that Cloud." Afraid, weakened, unsure. It was something no one else would ever see. Cloud, broken. Like a porcelain doll pushed from a high shelf, no one would be able to put his pieces together again. Yet the doll was never pushed. It saw the floor, and jumped to it's own demise. Insanity. Could that really explain everything that happened in the mind of a broken man?

_**Only when I stop to think about you I know**_

"Shut up and let's end this Sephiroth." Cloud chocked, the pain increasing with each drop of blood that hit the ground. Already a small puddle had formed below him, soaking into the barren earth from which everything had originated. "End this and set me free. Free from this. Free from you." His voice, it pled. His eyes, they suffered. His body, it bled. His heart, it broke.

_**Only when you stop to think about me do you know**_

The man stood tall, his sword drawn. He made no move. "Cloud fight me. This is not over." He stated simply, charging forward with reckless abandon. He knew how this would end. He welcomed the end. With each end, he found a new beginning. With each ending, he began again.

_**If you hate everything about me why do you love me**_

_**If I hate, you hate, If I hate, you love me.**_

Cloud may have chosen his own fate over the generals, but his muscle had denied him the choice. With practiced ease, they thrust the buster forward, meeting only minor resistance as it pieced the body of the seemingly immortal general. The sword fell from his hands, only to remain inches from his grasp as the general supported the weapon with his ruined body.

_**If I hate everything about you**_

"I grew to hate you, but I can't help but still love you." The silent words left his lips. The wind carrying them away. His blond head drooped as the general buckled, falling to his knees in the pool of blood at Cloud's feet.

The first few pieces had begun scattering, beginning with his hair and jacket. Tiny pieces broke off, disappearing into the surrounding air as the general began to shatter and disperse. Slumping further, it was all he could do to lift his head and expel his last few words. "I hurt you so much," He paused, as if he lacked the words, but still, the sounds flowed from his mouth. "I tried to hate you, but no matter how hard I tried-" Once more he paused, summoning the last of his strength as the rest of his torso disintegrated. "I couldn't. I still love you."

With a final smirk, and glint from his mako-green eyes, everything of the man he had once called friend, love, hated disappeared, leaving only a trace of blood on Cloud's sword, and another few scars on his body to join the ever growing heap on his heart.

Finally, the battlefield lay silent, only the sound of Cloud's sword hitting the dirt to echo out across the dead field of flowers. A tear shimmering on a bloodied cheek.

"Why…why do I…" Pink lips parted, exhaling pure sorrow.

_**Why do I-**_

"_**-love you.**_"

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Alright, so that brings us to the end of my second submitted work. I hope you liked it. This was a purely **fictional idea** I came up with, jotted down, and put together in the early hours of the morning. Though I have no excuse I ask that you please forgive my spelling and grammatical errors. Please, no flaming, though I would love** reviews**, be it compliments, or **constructive criticism**. 3

Love, Pride-chan/kun/whatever you care to call me.


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